Such presses used for forming of workpieces are known in various embodiments. They differ from one another, for example, with respect to their intended use (e.g. radial press) and the related construction (e.g. yoke press) as well as the drive concept (e.g. hydraulic). Hydraulically driven yoke presses for radial deformation of workpieces are known, for example, from DE 19912976 A1, DE 102009057726 A1, DE 4135465 A1 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,854,031 A.
DE 102004035590 A1 discloses a forming press, which has a main ram that can be moved up and down and can be interlocked after the closing stroke with a fixed part of the press (especially the lower crosshead), and in which a ram that executes the working stroke for forming the workpiece as well as a sheet holder (together with associated drive cylinder) are received.
The need exists in industry for increasingly powerful forming presses, i.e. forming presses with substantially greater press force compared with the established prior art. In the special case of radial presses, this need also relates among other aspects to the knowledge that, by radial deformation of a workpiece—or possibly the mutual forming of two workpieces to be joined to one another—in a radial forming press, it is possible to manufacture high-strength joints, and so entirely new areas of application (especially in joining engineering) can be opened up.